AB1315 EFFECTS OF COVID-19 IN RHEUMATOLOGICAL PAIN CONDITIONS SIX MONTHS AFTER INFECTION
Authors: B. D. Ebbesen, C. Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, J. A. Valera-Calero, R. Giordano, L. Arendt-Nielsen
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Up to 60% of COVID-19 survivors develop long-COVID symptoms<sup>[1,2]</sup>. Musculoskeletal pain is also a common (~11%) symptom of long-COVID<sup>[3,4]</sup>, but current evidence does not usually differentiate between muscular and joint (arthralgias) symptoms. Data on joint pain as long-COVID symptom is limited to specific populations. Additionally, studies investigating how COVID-19 affects previous rheumatological conditions experienced by the patient before the infection are also scarce. <h3>Objectives</h3> 1, To identify post-COVID changes in those previous joint pain conditions experienced by the patients before SARS-CoV-2 infection. 2, To compare the development of "de novo" joint pain as a long-COVID symptom between previously hospitalized and non-hospitalised COVID-19 survivors. <h3>Methods</h3> This nation-wide, cross-sectional exploratory study was based on a questionnaire collecting demographics, previous rheumatological pain conditions and changes in their symptoms, and the development of joint pain after SARS-CoV-2 infection from a population-based sample in Denmark. <h3>Results</h3> Data from 1.000 randomly previously hospitalised (51.2% males; 60.4±15.2 years; 85.6±18.5kg) and 1.000 randomly previously non-hospitalised COVID-19 survivors (43.5% males; 50.4±15.9 years; 79.2±16.6 kg) were analyzed. Distribution of gender (p&lt;0.001), age (p&lt;0.001), and weight (p&lt;0.001) was different between groups. The presence of joint pain before COVID-19 infection was significantly higher (P=0.01) in hospitalised (3.5%) than in non-hospitalised (1.6%) COVID-19 survivors. No differences in the presence of previous arthritis (P=0.212) or osteoarthritis (P=0.549) were found between the two groups. Both groups experienced similar worsening of symptoms in their previous rheumatological conditions, A significant higher proportion (P&lt;0.001) of hospitalised patients (18.9%) developed "de novo" joint pain when compared with non-hospitalised patients (5.5%). <h3>Conclusion</h3> This exploratory study shows that joint pain seems more likelyto occur in hospitalised patients compared to non-hospitalised patients. Experiencing COVID-19 worsened the symptoms of rheumatological pain conditions in both hospitalised and non-hospitalised COVID-19 survivors. Rheumatological pain will need attention in COVID-19 survivors independently of hospitalisation or not. <h3>References</h3> [1]Aiyegbusi OL, Hughes SE, Turner G, Rivera SC, McMullan C, Chandan JS, Haroon S, Price G, Davies EH, Nirantharakumar K, Sapey E, Calvert MJ; TLC Study Group. Symptoms, complications, and management of long COVID: a review. <i>J R Soc Med</i> (2021) 114:428–42; https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768211032850 [2]Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Palacios-Ceña D, Gómez-Mayordomo V, Florencio LL, Cuadrado ML, Plaza-Manzano G, Navarro-Santana M. Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 symptoms in hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Int Med (2021) 92:55-70. https://doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2021.06.009 [3]Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, de-la-Llave-Rincón AI, Ortega-Santiago R, Ambite-Quesada S, Gómez-Mayordomo V, Cuadradoc ML, Arias-Navalóne JA, Hernández-Barrera V, Martìn-Guerrero JD, Pellicer-Valero OJ, Arendt-Nielsen L, Prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal pain symptoms as long-term post-COVID sequelae in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors: a multicenter study, <i>PAIN</i> (2022) 163:e989-e996, http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002564 [4]Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Navarro-Santana M, Plaza-Manzano G, Palacios-Ceña D, Arendt-Nielsen L, Time course prevalence of post-COVID pain symptoms of musculoskeletal origin in patients who had survived severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis, <i>Pain</i>. (2022) Jul 1;163(7):1220-1231 https://doi.org10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002496 <h3>Acknowledgements</h3> Supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF121) and Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF21OC0067235). <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.